


Timing

by Ebhenah



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura's gift to Lance makes sense, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Getting Together, Lance's marks are useful, Love Confessions, M/M, Moving on from grief, Post-Canon, handjobs, reconnecting, remembering Allura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 17:48:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20246836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebhenah/pseuds/Ebhenah
Summary: The Atlas had never been designed to transform. The schematics had been based on the Castle of Lions, not the Lions themselves. The Garrison had built a formidable ship, it was only the little sliver of magic in the crystal from Allura’s crown that had allowed it to transform. Once Shiro retired, the Atlas could no longer become a warrior robot. It still had value, as a ship and as a symbol, and the heart of the coalition was peaceful. So, the Atlas had primarily been used for diplomatic voyages, peace summits, and occasionally as a reassuring presence in orbit of a politically volatile planet. That final function was rare, though. Even with energy rationing, reparations and rebuilding, the violence and resistance to the new intergalactic power struggle happened almost exclusively on the outskirts of the systems affected.So, the Atlas wasn't what Keith was expecting when he asked Earth for support for his Marmora Base, deep in contested territory...... and the Earth Coalition flagship's arrival was nothing compared to his surprise at who was helming her.Written for and published in After Dark, the NSFW zine published in conjunction with Stars Align





	Timing

**Author's Note:**

> The FREE NSFW After Dark Zine (as well as the SFW Stars Align Zine) can be downloaded here: https://thestarsalign-klancezine.tumblr.com/post/186112328958/after-many-months-and-so-many-applicants-we-have
> 
> I am so proud and honored to have been able to participate in this project. Many thinks to the mods and the many talented creators who made it such a wonderful introduction to the world of zines!
> 
> \--Ebh

The Atlas had never been designed to transform. The schematics had been based on the Castle of Lions, not the Lions themselves. The Garrison had built a formidable ship, it was only the little sliver of magic in the crystal from Allura’s crown that had allowed it to transform. Once Shiro retired, the Atlas could no longer become a warrior robot. It still had value, as a ship and as a symbol, and the heart of the coalition was peaceful. So, the Atlas had primarily been used for diplomatic voyages, peace summits, and occasionally as a reassuring presence in orbit of a politically volatile planet. That final function was rare, though. Even with energy rationing, reparations and rebuilding, the violence and resistance to the new intergalactic power struggle happened almost exclusively on the outskirts of the systems affected.

For a long time, Keith thought things were getting better but for the last several years the fighting in the outskirts of ‘Galran Territory’ had been escalating. Recently, he’d had to concede that it had become more than the remaining Blades could deal with and put in an official request for back-up from Earth. He’d sent it off and promptly forgot about it, falling into the familiar routine of mission, rest, eat, train, repeat. With so many skirmishes ranging from minor to genuinely worrying, it was easy to lose track of time passing. So, after a training session, when he was greeted by a Blade that he was pretty sure was named… umm… Vokigan presenting a datapad excitedly, he didn’t think much of it.

“Earth says to expect a teleduv today! They are sending the Atlas,” he said in a rush, thrusting the datapad into Keith’s hands.

“The **Atlas**?!?!” Keith echoed, “I mean… the Atlas is a great ship, but… just not what I was expecting.” He skimmed over the paperwork acknowledging the incoming Teleduv and signed off on it. Vokigan took the datapad back and turned toward the comms deck, impatient to get the authorization transmitted back to Earth. “Hold on! Who is even running the Atlas now?”

The young man glanced down, “Ummm… According to this, Captain McClain?”

Keith grinned, Acxa hadn’t told him that Veronica had taken command of the Coalition’s Flagship! Good for her! “I’m on patrol when the Atlas arrives,” he called out, “but tell Captain McClain to join me in my quarters for a quiet dinner when I get back! Arrange Earth cuisine to be delivered… half a varga after my return.”

“Vrepit sa!” Vokigan replied before he turned and ran down the hallway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It warmed his heart and gave him a little swell of hope to see the massive Coalition ship looming beside the Space Station he’d been calling home for the better part of eight years when he returned from his mission. The Atlas. Just the sight of her made him feel younger. Made him remember the Voltron days. When was the last time he’d seen any of them? He’d missed the last several reunion dinners on New Altea- unable to leave the contested areas for something as personal as that. They all understood. He was certain of that. Allura would have understood, too. 

All the same, he missed them. He missed Hunk’s booming laugh and tight, warm hugs. He missed Pidge’s rapid-fire storytelling about her research, her eye-rolling accounts of Matt’s life. He missed Coran’s animated recounts of Allura’s childhood. He missed Shiro, the way he was with people who understood what his life had been. Retirement was good for him. Marriage was good for him. Keith was happy for him, but he knew that there were parts of him that… slumbered… in his day to day life that woke when he was with the Paladins. Shiro needed that. To be honest, Keith probably needed it, too. Maybe next year… if things settled down. If the coalition was providing adequate support. If he could manage it, he’d join them next year. Because he missed them. All of them.

He docked his little ship and filed his report. After a quick shower and change of clothes in the locker rooms by the training decks he was at least presentable to greet Veronica. He tried to ignore the fact that a big part of the energy that propelled him down the familiar hallways came from her connection to Lance. He tried not to think about how knowing that she would likely share gossip about her brother made his pulse race and his stomach drop. 

He and Lance had such a complicated history. Lance had once drunkenly confessed to having a crush on Keith back at the Garrison. Unfortunately, by the time Keith had started to fall for him, Lance was already completely smitten with Allura. Then, he’d been grieving. A few years later, he’d made a couple of comments at the reunion dinner that made Keith think that maybe… but Keith had just started dating one of Matt’s friends from his rebellion days. Then they were on opposite sides of the universe by the time Keith was single again. Timing never seemed to work for them. They always seemed to just miss each other, opportunities sailing past them unnoticed or unreachable. Never quite the right place at the right time.

Except...

That one time that Keith did not want to be thinking about when he sat down to share a meal with Lance’s sister. That one time when they’d been celebrating Pidge’s birthday. The raucous party dwindled until he and Lance were the last two people to trail out of the bar. They’d walked back to the hotel together talking about the old days, and everything that had happened since. Alcohol had made it easy to bear their souls to each other. Trust that they’d built up over the years had made it easy to spill overdue confessions, smooth out long-ago misunderstandings, make apologies for old slights, offer up forgiveness without hesitation. They’d talked for hours, sitting by the pool up on the roof with their socks and shoes off, feet in the water. The conversation outlasted the alcohol in their systems, outlasted the night itself. They’d watched the sunrise, then Keith had looked at Lance, and Lance had smiled back. Somehow they’d ended up in Keith’s room and the talking had been replaced by a very different kind of connecting. But then Keith got called back to work early and Lance had gone back to Cuba and they hadn’t seen each other since - barely even exchanged calls or com messages.

Timing, sometimes, was the only thing separating vastly different outcomes.

Regardless, he liked Veronica in her own right. She seemed so serious and no nonsense at work, but she had an impish streak that always made him smile, and she was kind and brave, with the big heart he associated with the entire McClain family. It was going to be so nice to get to spend a few hours relaxing and catching up with her and she was already waiting for him.

“Captain McClain,” he said loudly as he entered his quarters, clapping his hands, and grinning, “congratulations on the promotion!” He rounded the corner from the little makeshift foyer to the main living area and froze. 

“Thanks so much, Mullet! I’m still getting used to the new rank, but it is damn good to be piloting again.”

Lance.

Lance was here. 

He was **here** in Keith’s quarters. Standing not ten feet away, wearing a Garrison uniform, that same shade of blue from when Voltron had been part of the Coalition forces. Taller than he had been back then. Broader, too. His hair was different. An undercut with just enough length on top that the hair was barely starting to show its curl. But the eyes were the same. The smile was the same. The voice hadn’t changed at all. It felt like one of the visions he’d experienced in the Quantum Abyss- past, present and future colliding.

Lance grinned at him, blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “You totally expected my sister, didn’t you?”

“Yes! Of **course** I did, Lance! Oh my God!”

“Oh man, you should see your face,” he chuckled, “sooo glad you never read reports!”

“I read reports!”

“No, you _skim_ reports,” Lance laughed again and some little broken, aching thing in Keith’s soul healed, “get over here and hug me, already, Mullet! It’s been **years!**”

He didn’t even realize he was moving until he was caught in a tight hug. “You could’ve told me that you rejoined the Garrison! A call, message, anything!”

“I’ll tell you the whole story while we eat,” he answered, his hand rubbing at Keith’s shoulder-blade as he peeled out of the hug. 

“Okay, I’m definitely going to need an explanation,” he headed to the liquor cabinet, “Sit, sit… food’s already on the way. I’ve got some Altean Rye that Romelle gave me. You like it on the rocks, right?”

“I do, yeah- splash of lime juice if you got it, but on the rocks is fine, Samurai.”

“I’ve got derginci juice- tastes like lime and pineapple. Good?” He grabbed a couple of glasses and added ice.

“Sure, I’ll try anything once,” he winked, taking a seat at the table, “and go back for repeats if I like it.” 

He nearly choked, a flood of memories rushing through his mind like a highlight reel of the last time he’d been alone in a room with Lance. Somehow he managed to pour the drinks without making a mess or shattering one of the glasses. He was in his thirties! What the quiznak was it about Lance that could make him feel like a teenager again?!?! Taking a bracing breath, he picked up the drinks and joined Lance at the table. 

“Where’s Kosmo? I have a whole bin of new toys for him on the Atlas from the others,” Lance sipped his drink, nodding at his first taste, “that juice is a nice touch.”

“New Altea with Romelle right now,” he smiled, “there was a cartography mission through the Quantum Abyss awhile back. They found some orphaned pups. Now they’re all grown up. Romelle is working with some xenobiologists to breed them. Kosmo is there to sire some pups.”

“Really?? That’s so cool! Papa Kosmo, I love it. If I’m going to be out here as long as I expect to be, I want a puppy!”

“What?” Keith wasn’t sure he heard that right, “why? How long are you stationed here?”

“See? This is why I say you skim reports. Indefinite deployment. That was in the report, Mullet. The Atlas is officially a first line defender again. Wherever the most trouble is, that’s where I’ll be. If things keep escalating they plan on sending me a little flock of MFEs. Basically, you’ve got the Atlas at your disposal as long as you need it. We are here to help.”

“I still can’t believe you are the Captain of the Atlas! How did that even happen? When did you decide to leave the farm? How did Veronica take it? Does Shiro know?”

“I did promise you the full story with _food_,” Lance laughed, “and the food’s not here yet, so let’s talk about you. What’s new?”

“Umm… lemme see… Kosmo is with Romelle to make puppies. Oh! Kolivan asked for my blessing to propose to my mother! That’s pretty big...”

“Oh wow! Congrats to them! That’s exciting- and weird… hard to picture Kolivan being ‘in love’ you know? It’s like when you were a little kid and saw your teacher at the mall. Like… you knew they didn’t _live_ at school, but it’s still weird to see them anywhere else. None of that is really about **you** though- any new hobbies? New besties? Have we been replaced in your heart, Keith? Do I get to be Shiro’s favorite now?”

“Please- you and I both know that Pidge is Shiro’s favorite,” he laughed, “I could never get away with half the crap she could! I don’t really have time for learning new hobbies… I’m still drawing. I did learn how to do traditional Galran watercolors. I still suck at it, but it is a really cool technique. One of the census takers, Gidju, he taught me and I taught him how to use chalk pastels… which was tricky because he has fur, so he has to really pay attention to his hand positioning.”

“Cool,” Lance nodded, sipping his drink again, “new hobby- Galran watercolors. New bestie- Gidju. New step-dad on the horizon, and new grand-puppies. Sounds like you are doing well out here.”

Keith stood, hearing the chime that alerted him to the food delivery. “Well, I’ve been here a while.” He triggered the door, accepting the tray from the little carrier droid and activated its next programmed task. “Closest thing I’ve had to a home in a long time. Since… the Castle of Lions, probably.” 

“It’s funny how fast that became home, isn’t it?” Lance’s voice was wistful, “Allura said something once that I’ve been thinking about lately… that when we were in the Castleship, we’d all lost so much. We were all alone, but we were alone together, and that made us a family. She was right. I think that’s what made the Castle home so fast- we were surrounded by family there.”

“Yeah,” Keith agreed, even though his feelings for Lance, in particular, had never been all that _familial_. Pushing that thought out of his mind, he set the tray on the table. Lance helped him unstack the various dishes, organizing them on the table and peeling off lids to reveal their ‘Earth meal’. Tomato soup, a huge tossed salad, and a large platter stacked with a truly ridiculous number of grilled cheese sandwiches.

“This all looks awesome,” Lance said, taking a deep breath, “and it smells amazing.”

“Help yourself,” he nodded at the food, returning to his seat. “Sooo… food’s here- no more stalling, Lance.”

“Huh? Oh! Right,” he smirked and Keith rolled his eyes, because he knew how much Lance was enjoying making him wait for the explanation he’d promised. Lance started to load food onto his plate as he talked. “Captain McClain! So, there was a summit on the Atlas and they wanted me to come talk about Allura. Usually, they bug Shiro to do that stuff, but this was the Myreen Cluster delegates’ first time in the Milky Way and they were one of Altea’s oldest allies and made a fuss about it being me.”

“That makes sense,” he said quietly between spoonfuls of soup, “your thing with talking about Allura’s message to school kids is getting pretty well known.”

“I like kids,” he shrugged. He settled back into his seat, long legs stretching out beneath the table. Keith knew without looking that they were crossed at the ankle, top foot bouncing lightly- because Lance always had too much energy to sit perfectly still unless he was on overwatch. “Better than adults a lot of the time, and I’m comfortable with talking to crowds. So, you know, I went and did my little talk thing, answered questions. Made me all nostalgic, so Veronica and I take a walk. Nothing major, just like our old quarters, Red’s Hangar… We ended up on the Bridge- I never lost my security clearance so it was cool for me to be there- we just milled around, talking. I kinda ended up standing at the Captain’s Station and bam! Just like that, all these wild interfaces activated and it felt like the first time I was in Blue. Veronica was freaking out. That is **rare**!” His fingers lifted to brush the mark on his cheek, “they did all these tests- Allura… she gave me the White Lion… or, like, part of it. Part of it is in the crystal in Shiro’s arm, too.”

“You can make it transform,” he breathed, awed.

“I sure can,” Lance answered, beaming, “so they fast tracked me up the ranks. Basically, a field promotion. So- we’re working together again, Space Ranger Partner.”

“I still can’t really believe you are here! I thought you wanted to stay on the farm, with your family?”

“I did… at first,” his voice fell, softer tones replacing exuberance. “But I don’t fit there anymore. Allura knew I had a different path, that’s why she gave me these. I’m really here. The Atlas is… I fit there. It fits. Weird that I’m following in Shiro’s footsteps, but yeah, it feels right. All of this feels right. I’m where I should be.”

“Lance?” It sounded almost like he was saying...

“Are you _actually_ hungry right now?” He asked suddenly, “because you’re barely touching the soup… and I’m basically just pushing food around on my plate.”

“I… uh… I’m not like starving,” he answered, “I could eat, but I can wait until later, too. Why?”

“I just… I can’t eat right now… and, honestly? I’d rather we were sitting on the couch..”

“Lance? Are you okay?” He was starting to worry.

“Yeah,” he shook his head, smiling, “yeah, I’m fine. Just… it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

“Alright. Yeah,” he stood, tossing his napkin onto the table and grabbing his drink, “okay, let’s go sit on the couch. Want me to top up your drink?” Lance eyed his half finished drink and shook his head. 

They settled onto the couch, and Lance turned to face him, arm across the back of the couch, so Keith followed suit, mimicking his body language.

“I… don’t like how we left things… last time.”

“Oh,” Keith felt his heart shrivel a little. Lance regretted being with him. It hurt more than he expected. It hurt more than pretty much anything. “And you want to establish boundaries because we’re going to be working together. Makes sense.”

“What? No! Oh, no that’s not what I meant… I meant **after**, Keith.” He sighed, his eyes closing for a second. Hand settling on Keith’s wrist lightly, he started over. “These marks… we underestimated Allura. The gift wasn’t the marks, it was what the marks **do**!”

“Okay? What do the marks do?”

“Those tests the Garrison did? I age differently now. I age like an Altean… or a Galra. Like **you**. Allura knew I’d need time. She knew you’d outlive the rest of us. She saw… us. She knew we would have to wait, but that our time would come. She wanted us to be able to make the most of it. When we figured it out… God, I’m so nervous…”

“Are you saying what I think you are saying, Lance?” He inched closer, “you don’t regret…”

“The **only** thing I regret is letting you leave that hotel without telling you I’m in love with you, Keith,” he said in such a rush that Keith could watch him realize just what he’d said out loud. Eyes flying wide, his hand tightened on Keith’s wrist and he licked his lips nervously, “and every wasted day since then when I didn’t reach out to tell you that I miss you like… like you are oxygen. It **hurts** and I think you are hurting, too. For the same reason.”

“You’re in love with me?” He couldn’t believe his ears, it was hard enough to believe that Lance was here, on the other side of the universe and not on Earth. 

“Yeah, mullet… and you are supposed to be saying it back right about now,” his smile was forced, and there was fear in his eyes. “Unless… you’re not-”

“-No! I am!” He blurted out, cutting Lance off, “God, I have been in love with you for so long…”

Lance’s whole face transformed and he leaned in to kiss Keith. The instant their lips touched, Keith’s body surged to life. He gasped with the sudden reminder that the last person he’d kissed was this man, and that it had been _years_ since he’d had him in his arms. Years’ worth of hunger and need and missing him boiled over, washing away tenderness and patience. The kiss deepened instantly, and apparently he wasn’t the only one who had been deprived too long, because he felt Lance’s teeth bite into his lip and tug at the same time as he felt Lance’s hands pulling his shirt up and flattening against the newly bared skin.

His touch was electric, sending jolts of pleasure through Keith, making him twitch and shudder as they kissed and Keith pushed Lance back into the soft cushions of the couch. His weight settled over Lance, and he was rewarded with a choked sound and Lance grinding up into his weight. “You’re really here,” he rasped, tearing his lips away from Lance’s to nip and kiss his way down to the collar of the Garrison uniform.

“You really love me,” Lance answered, his head craning back as he raked his hands over Keith’s shirt, “want this off…”

He pulled away long enough to shed his shirt, and Lance took the opportunity to undo his uniform jacket. The next few minutes flew as they made quick work of their remaining clothing. Keith turned back to Lance and went still. Nerves asserted themselves and he faltered, worry and insecurity seeping into his mind. “Lance… I… You…”

“I’m sure,” Lance whispered, grasping the question Keith couldn’t quite voice. “I’m sure, Keith. About you. About us. About where I am meant to be, who I am meant to be with. It’s you. It’s been you… for so long.” He leaned in close, fingertips trailing over Keith’s shoulder and sending tendrils of pleasure curling out from their path. “The last time… I was scared… being with you after so long… I wasn’t expecting it to be so…”

“Intense,” Keith whispered, but Lance shook his head.

“So _right_,” his hand followed the length of Keith’s arm, “I thought… it was just a lingering crush from when I was a kid… that we’d get each other out of our systems… go back to normal after. But… that’s not what that was… and I got scared and I let you go. Let you leave me behind again- even though I knew I was making a mistake. **We** were making a mistake.”

“I was… relieved,” Keith confessed, “that I got called away so fast. I couldn’t… if you’d said we’d messed up… I couldn’t even look you in the eyes, I was so scared I’d see regret… so being able to leave- to have an excuse to run… it was a relief.”

“Stop running,” Lance breathed, voice raw with emotion, “please Keith… don’t run from this. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered, catching Lance’s face between his hands and kissing him. Lance’s lips parted for him and he deepened the kiss, tongue darting out to taste him, both of them moaning when he did. Lance’s hands settled on his hips, pulling him close and then sliding to grab his ass, strong fingers squeezing and kneading the cheeks. 

“Keith,” he gasped into the kiss, “God, Keeeith…”

He crawled into Lance’s lap, straddling him on the couch and pressing their foreheads together. “M’not going anywhere, Lance,” he promised, “m’never leaving you behind again.”

Lance’s hand buried itself in his hair, and he was yanked into a fiery, bruising kiss that made him feel like he was going to combust. His own hands roamed over Lance’s chest and sides, clutched at his shoulders, cradled his face. He was so starved for the feel of Lance’s skin against his own that he couldn’t seem to slow down. Frantic, almost, he shifted closer, pressed their chests together with a groan. Flattened together like this, Lance’s head had to crane back to keep kissing Keith, but that was fine. That was better than fine. 

He deepened the kiss, one hand leaving Lance’s jaw to thread through the thick brown hair and clinging to him desperately. Lance moaned and the sound swept over Keith like flames. Strong fingers dug into Keith’s thighs, and Lance rocked his hips up hungrily. Their breaths were heavy, ragged- catching on little grunts and shaking around raw moans. 

Keith squirmed, needing the friction. Reveling in the feel of his aching cock trapped between them. Lance chuckled softly into the kiss. “Got you,” he panted between kisses.

He actually whimpered with blissed out relief when he felt Lance’s strong, farm-roughened hand encase them both, setting a pace of long, lazy strokes completely at odds with the frenzied kisses.

“Holy shit,” he gasped, hips stuttering into the tight grip, “Lance.”

He felt the smile at the same time as he felt the hand splay on the small of his back, pulling him closer. “Told’ja,” Lance rasped, lips brushing over the sensitive column of Keith’s throat, “I got you, babe… you feel soo good… you’re so fucking hot…”

“Holy… ah ah ah… holy… holy shhhhhit… holy shit…” His hand fell from Lance’s jaw to his shoulder, short nails digging into skin that always seemed to hold the warmth of the Cuban sun and he rocked into the stroke of Lance’s hand. Sinking into that molten heat that was coiling tighter and tighter within him. “Lannnnnce… holyshit… holyshit…”

“So fucking hot,” Lance growled, taking the hint and picking up the pace, “love you… love touching you… love kissing you… making you mine…”

Quiznak, his brain was starting to short out. He could barely track what Lance was saying, barely register the breathy, needy things that fell from his own lips. Lance’s hand felt too good. His mouth on Keith’s throat felt too good. The way he held him exactly where he wanted him with a single hand felt too good. “Close,” he panted, licking his lips, “sssss… so cl-ohhh… sssssssooo clooooose… fuck…”

“Me too,” Lance’s forehead fell to Keith’s shoulder, hot, heavy breaths steaming across his sweat slick skin. “Fuck… you feel too good.. Keith… been… too long…”

“So good,” he mewled, nodding, “holy shit… Lance… love you… love you… love you… ssssoooooh much… s’much…” 

Words gave way to helpless little mewls and whimpering hums of pleasure as they both chased oblivion. Keith felt the change in Lance… the steady stroke of his hand faltering, a tremor in his fingers. His own name sounded like a prayer when Lance said it and he managed to tip his head forward to meet those gorgeous blue eyes that showed every little emotion Lance felt. Shaking, he lifted his hand, tracing out the line of his brow. “Love you… Lance…”

“Keith… God… love you… love you… too…” and then they were kissing their way through an orgasm that felt like a lightning strike and left them quaking and twitching and trembling in each other’s arms for an eternity.

Eventually, Keith tipped himself over and fell onto the couch in a breathless heap, one arm flung above his head. “Dammmmmn…”

Lance laughed, the sound light and clear, “couldn’t have said it better myself. That was…”

“Intense?” He cracked one eye open to peer at the handsome, naked man beside him.

Smiling tenderly, Lance shook his head and twisted, leaning over Keith to brush their lips together. “No… That was **right**.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, lifting his head to kiss Lance properly, pouring his heart into it. It seemed to last forever and barely a heartbeat all at the same time and they were both smiling dreamily by the time they pulled back a hairsbreadth, sapphire eyes meeting amethyst ones. Keith’s nose scrunched up with giddy joy, “it was. This… Us… it’s **right**.”

“I love you, Keith Kogane.”

“I love you, too, Lance McClain- ooh… no… I love you, too, _Captain_ Lance McClain.” 

He smirked teasingly up at him and Lance shook his head before dissolving into laughter. He stretched out on top of Keith, both of them ignoring the rapidly cooling mess they’d made of each other as they tangled legs and cuddled close. 

“Soooo,” Lance drawled after a few minutes, “I hope you’re not toooo disappointed that you didn’t get to see my sister tonight.”

“I’ll live,” he answered, “you’re not too bummed that you didn’t get to get Kosmo cuddles, I hope.”

“I’m pretty sure I can make do.” Lance lifted his head from Keith’s shoulder, “I was serious about the puppy though- you tell Romelle I get first dibs.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “aye aye, Cap’n.”

“The Atlas,” sighed Lance, “I still can’t really believe it.”

“She’s in good hands,” Keith assured him, “you’re a great pilot… better leader. This… it suits you.”

“Or maybe you’re a little biased because you love me.”

“Yeah. That’s definitely it.”

“KEITH!” Lance half sat up, gaping at him in outrage.

It was comically adorable, and Keith couldn’t resist the giggles that bubbled up through him. He rested his hand against Lance’s cheek, “you’re where you belong, Lance. You’re amazing and you are going to do amazing things.”

“We are,” he corrected, turning his head to press a kiss to Keith’s palm. “Together. **We** are going to do amazing things, because _we are a good team_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Allura was a smart woman who knew and loved Lance. She'd want him to be happy again, someday. She was also tactically minded, and her gifts would be ones with actual benefits- even if they weren't immediately obvious ones!


End file.
